How to Enjoy Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festivals)

Although summer is a time I dreaded when I lived in Japan, due to the stifling humidity, noisy cicadas, and frequent rain, one thing I definitely looked forward to was the natsu matsuri (夏祭り), or summer festivals! In the states we have county fairs to gorge ourselves on deep fried Twinkies and everything-on-a-stick, but Japan celebrates with natsu matsuri. They start around the end of July, coinciding with the start of summer vacation for students, and continue through August. Like any good festival, there's plenty of great food, games, entertainment, and fireworks – the Japanese do not limit themselves to only one day out of the whole summer to enjoy them!

For those of you who are thinking about attending a natsu matsuri now or in the future, I've made a list of tips on how to make the best of the experience!

1. Wear traditional Japanese clothing such as yukata

One of my favorite yukatas.

A yukata is a lightweight summer version of kimono. They come in a wide variety of patterns and colors, so there are plenty to choose from! I found so many I liked I have five that I like to switch between.

Another of my favorites! Girls can usually find a lot of flower patterns on yukatas.

Hawaiian style yukata!

The most important – and most difficult – thing about wearing yukata is how to put it on. The two main parts are the yukata itself and the obi, which serves as a belt to hold it in place. First of all, be aware that yukata and kimono are intentionally oversized – you'd have to be freakishly tall for it to fall exactly around your ankles. This is because they are one-size-fits-all; you're supposed to tie the yukata in place and then hike it up to the proper length. Basically you double it up, fold it over, and hide it under the obi. But before any of this, its crucial that you fold the left half of the yukata over the right. Otherwise you'll look like the Walking Dead! Dead bodies are dressed in kimono folded over the opposite way.

Remember: left over right.

Left over right!

My favorite part of the yukata is the cute bow at the back of the obi. They sell cheater bows you can just tuck in to the obi rather than learning how to tie it in a bow yourself. Super easy, and pretty!

A pretty bow in the back ties the look together.

You can also accessorize with geta (wooden shoes) and hair accessories. You might choose a beautiful flower hair accessory or a kanzashi, as well as slip a cute charm or fan into your obi. You can also use a kinchaku as a small drawstring purse to keep your cell phone and wallet in. Note: when wearing yukata/kimono, hair is almost always pulled up. Plus, it's hot so that's the best way to go.

Kinchaku drawstring purse.

Beautiful kanzashi for your hair.

Obi-kazari, decorations for your obi belt.

If you're a guy you can wear the male version in more muted colors and designs, or something even more informal called jinbei. They have much less fabric, making it more comfortable to wear, and are gaining popularity in women's colors and prints as well. Dress style yukata are also popular with young girls.

A typical male jinbei.

Stylish yukata dresses for young girls.

You might also choose to wear a happi, a lightweight coat worn at festivals.

A typical happi worn at festivals. It has the kanji for "festival" on the back.

Beware that due to Japan's high humidity you'll probably be a little too hot for comfort while wearing a yukata, so it's a personal sacrifice! Thus, a jinbei or happi may be a better option for you. Luckily most natsu matsuri take place at night. Still, it would be good to invest in a fan, but if you forget you can usually get one being handed out for free by vendors to promote their businesses.

Tip: While yukata are not full-on kimono, they can still be pretty expensive – expect to pay around 100 dollars or more. However, second hand shops such as WonderRex may have used yukatas for 2000 yen (20 bucks) and under! Thus, I shamelessly bought five.

2. Save your appetite for festival food

Delicious okonomiyaki sizzling on the griddle.

A festival wouldn't be complete without food, and Japan delivers! Staple festival food includes okonomiyaki ("whatever you like" pancake), yakisoba (fried noodles), and takoyaki (octopus fritters). Other food options include frankfuruto (hot dog on a stick), bright red grilled squid, and jaga batta (baked potato loaded with butter). There are plenty of sweets, too – wata-ame (cotton candy), chocolate bananas, candied fruit, ramune soda, kakigoori (shave ice), and my favorite sweet, imagawayaki (also called ōbanyaki), round hotcakes stuffed with anko (sweet red bean paste), chocolate, cream, or even cheese and bacon.

My favorite sweet treat: imagawayaki.

Tip: While you're not supposed to do this normally in Japan, at festivals it's A-OK to walk around while eating.

My personal favorite is okonomiyaki, Hiroshima style – with noodles and lots of cabbage! It's typically topped with thin slices of pork and a fried egg, but it could be seafood style as well. The best part lies in the sweet and savory sauce, mayo, aonori (dried seaweed) flakes, and salty katsuobushi (dried tuna) flakes.

Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.

Yakisoba and takoyaki are also big favorites. Takoyaki typically has the same toppings as okonomiyaki, so the flavor is really similar. If you're afraid of the octopus inside, it's actually only a small piece, and since it's surrounded by batter and loaded with sauce and goodies you don't even notice it. But I can't recommend ever getting takoyaki when it's at a festival – they're usually mushy!

It's fun to watch takoyaki being made!

If you're adventurous, try the grilled squid. It's a pretty color!

Bright red squid for sale.

Choco-banana are a fun treat.

A beautiful spread of choco-banana.

Ringo-ame, candied apples, are also popular, and you might even find adorable Pokemon-shaped candy pops, too!

Pokemon candy lollipops in your favorite characters!

If you like grilled, salted fish, go for these.

Mmm, salted grilled fish on a stick.

For some reason plain old cukes on a stick hit the spot for some Japanese.

Stitch as a Kappa??

There's also a lot of tapioca drinks even Elsa approves of.

Back when Frozen had just come out in Japan, Elsa was shamelessly used to promote literally everything.

3. Try your hand at some games like yo-yo tsuri and kingyo sukui

If you're full from all that good food and waiting for the fireworks, try some of the unique games like kingyo sukui. The goal is to scoop up a goldfish with a delicate net. You'd be surprised how easy it breaks in the water!

Try to scoop up the goldfish in kingyo sukui. It's harder than it looks.

Another similar game is yo-yo tsuri. This time you're "fishing" for yo-yo balloons with rubber bands attached to them. Snag one with your "hook" and you've won!

Go fishing for yo-yos.

You can also have fun with more traditional games like wanage (ring toss) and shateki (shooting game).

Shateki, a shooting game.

4. Catch a traditional Japanese folk dance

A dance group performs at Mito Komon Matsuri in Mito, Ibaraki.

A natsumatsuri is not complete without entertainment! You can watch many groups of dancers perform traditional Japanese style dances. They may perform on a stage or public place, or as part of a parade. The biggest of them all is the Bon-odori which takes place in the middle of August. The dance is typically danced in a circle around a wooden scaffold called yagura, and all are welcome to join in.

A traditional dance during the Tanabata festival in Sendai, Miyagi.

This group is dancing to a song called Soran Bushi (ソーラン節), a popular festival dance in Ibaraki. This song is fun and exciting!

 

As you can see, each group selects a color scheme and the components of their outfits, which may often say the name of the group or where they practice. These outfits can range between traditional and modern, or a unique blend of the two.

Taiko drums add power to their performance.

This group choose more traditional clothing. Don't forget the flag twirler in the back!

Some groups include instruments such as taiko drums, and many employ a flag twirler to wave around in the background. You have to have good upper body strength though – the flags are very long!

Group members range from young to old.

Dances that take place at night can have a lot of impact, especially with the use of these matoi (纏) standards used by Edo era firefighters.

In the night these matoi look like ghostly squids swimming over the dancers.

In some festivals, such as the Mito Koumon Festival in Mito, Ibaraki, you might even find an eclectic group doing greaser style dance. In Japan, old meets new!

1950s American culture in Japan? Why not.

Both women and men get in on the action for this 50s inspired dance.

You might even find an interesting character or two at festivals – Spiderman, or some Tron-like character, perhaps – or this guy. Basically the most awesome hair I saw on any man in Japan.

I dub thee "awesome hair guy".

5. Enjoy the parades

A mikoshi being carried along the street.

Another form of entertainment is the parades, which are sometimes mixed together with the dances in a long procession. This usually involves mikoshi, a decorated palanquin, carried by many people, sometimes even while wearing only fundoshi (basically a loincloth – men only).

There are also decorative floats called dashi, much like any other parade.

A float at a festival from my local town in Hitachi, Ibaraki.

                                       

This float looks part of a shrine! There are taiko drummers on board.

Some rely on foot power!

How it was done back in the day.

Another fun aspect of festivals is wearing masks, which you can purchase at stalls. Some are traditional, but there are other masks featuring popular characters like Pokemon and Yokai Watch.

Traditional style mask.

Modern style masks featuring popular cartoon characters.

6. Come early to stake out a spot for the fireworks

Fireworks are the best part of a natsu matsuri!

You'd be surprised at how early people arrive to claim their spots. Two hours before, you say? Hardly. Four? You'll be getting the leftover spots. Six or more? Sounds about right.

This may be a little exaggerated depending on the popularity and size of the festival. However, at one of Tokyo's most famous fireworks shows on Sumida River I've seen people's living room furniture set up on the street in preparation for the big event! They must have moved it days in advance. Also, it was a nightmare getting home through the station afterward! I ended up missing the last train back to Hitachi and had to pay a lot of money for a taxi the rest of the way. Ouch.

Japan has some awesome firework displays at its natsu matsuri!

After the second time I was sure I never wanted to go back and brave all those crowds. Another time I was at a huge fireworks competition in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki that went on for around three hours, and even coming there a couple of hours before it started, it was challenging to find a spot!

Tip: Make sure to think through your exit strategy. If you're at one of the big festivals you'll want to either leave early or linger long enough not to have to battle crowds getting home on the trains. Additional tip: You can invest in a cheap tarp from Daiso, Japan's dollar store, to hold your spot, then return later for when the real action begins.

Although summer can be a challenge to enjoy in Japan, thanks to the abundance of natsu matsuri there's plenty of fun to be had! Think about scheduling your next trip to Japan during the summer and get in on all the fun!